How Fate Turns
by Kazima Kuwabara
Summary: Kuwabara didn't mean to but he enjoyed the bath of blood. After the years of missions, and killing his human heart could only take so much. He was not a demon like the others, and was unable to prevent the darkness of his deeds from clouding his heart.


Shoot me…shoot me! College kills my soul…more and more every day….gah….

It's been so long…but hey I'm finally settled in as a college student whoot for me. So I'll be giving you this tiny story, and start right back up with my other stories. As for my year long story I'll be working on that for more then a year it looks like.

Btw this story is meant to mess with your head! Let me know if it did please!

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"…There must always be a reason for murder…for killing, isn't that how it is always thought? The victim did this, or the man was insane. There must always be a reason-some logical reason for the terrible act of murder. But what if the murder, the torture was done for no reason? The murder was for…just to see. See what events would unfold afterwards. When you kill someone, when you hurt someone, when you put someone in absolute pain-what if there was no reason. It was just done because it could be done. Just a curiosity-that murder was…"

Kuwabara blanked out again, and rubbed his eyes. This lecture was long, and over an unsettling subject-the human psyche when it was associated with murder. Casually glancing around at his classmates he saw they squirmed, looked at each other, pulled at their hair or clothes, and one girl in the corner was near tears. At this moment, Kuwabara would give anything to be like them.

Kuwabara was now twenty-one, and soon he would be a teacher, just one semester left. But right now he wished he could be like these other students, flinching away from death-all kinds of death. Murder with a reason, murder without a reason, torture...however none of this bothered Kuwabara anymore. Since fourteen, since that fated day he'd been raised in blood, death and murder's harshness pertaining to reality had slowly but surely decreased in bothering Kuwabara.

He was not thinking of the first meeting with Yusuke, or meeting Rando, but in fact he was thinking of the first time he met Kurama, and Hiei. The first time he had followed Yusuke to a mission at that demonic castle to battle the demons within. That was when Kuwabara killed for the first time, when Kuwabara began a never-ending bath in blood. He could remember when he just fought for honor, and then how he fought to save others, but it all quickly became fighting to survive.

Kuwabara would bathe again in blood and death when rescuing Yukina, when attending the dark Tournament, and when meeting Sensui. Kuwabara would continue to bathe in blood for many years. Even after Yusuke left with Kurama and Hiei to that tournament…Kuwabara took on missions from Koenma, so he could kill again in the name of honor…for "honor." And even when Yusuke retired as a rekai, Kuwabara would still take on more and more tasks to hunt and to kill.

…to kill.

"Mr. Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara snapped to attention to see the students and teacher was staring at him-not only that the teacher was at his side, a handkerchief pressed to his face.

He had started to cry.

"Mr. Kuwabara…if the discussion bothers you…feel free to leave," the teacher advised lowly. Kuwabara wiped his eyes and asked, "Can murder or even just regular death be an addiction?"

The teacher stepped away from Kuwabara, and folded her arms looking at him waiting for more questions, a glint in her eye. She was obviously expecting an intellectual conversation…but she would instead receive an on slaughter of impassioned words.

"Say a man-say a samurai in the times of old had to kill for his lord. He had to kill to protect others. And all of a sudden that life is over, and taken away, how would this man adjust? Would he lose himself in despair, maybe even go out to hunt for victims?" Kuwabara questioned, eyes focused on his teacher's eyes, "Say this man who had to deal with a life of killing and suffering, found new ways to kill-but still be considered an "innocent." But then even those excuses run dry, and this samurai now has no lord, and no righteous reasons to kill…but he feels it deep within him he must continue. Did this urge to kill become an addiction, or was it something worse?"

The teacher was quiet thinking of an answer, while around the pair the other students started packing up to go.

"Yes," She finally answered, "Yes…it has become both. An addiction, a need, something dark and dangerous. The Samurai, if you go by what was done in the Samurai era, would take his life to prevent him from becoming something evil-from making his honor and morals nothing but a sham."

Then the bell rang, and Kuwabara left before another word was said.

The walk to his apartment was an easy one, and when he got home he wasn't surprised at who was waiting him.

"Hello Koenma," Kuwabara greeted staring at the demi-god. Koenma was not the small baby he knew, but instead a man. And not the young suave teenager but, an actual man in about his thirties. His hair was long and tied back, and on Koenma's face was the grimmest of expressions.

"You used to work for me, and your pain and heart has called out to me," Koenma said lowly; it sounded like he was quoting a memorized scripture, which if Kuwabara trusted his gut, Koenma was.

"Kazuma Kuwabara you have felt and known you are losing your human heart, and are beginning to join the league of a primal beasts. A primal beast is something that only knows death and the yearning to kill, it bears no heart. Soon your heart will not be your own, and you will be lost. This disorder happens many times, but because you have offered the spirit world so much service, I have come to you to give you an offer."

Koenma hesitated, and then quite suddenly thrust out his hand, "Come with me and shed your mortal coil and be in heaven to be cleansed, have your memories wiped clean of the pain and suffering you have faced, and be reincarnated to try life once again."

Kuwabara stood before Koenma, and pushed his hand away, his dull eyes meeting the God's, "And I would forget Urameshi?"

Koenma did not answer.

"And I would forget my best friend? I would forget the person I hold in the highest esteem, the person I wanted to be like? And I would forget Yusuke Urameshi…Kurama, Hiei, Boeton…" Kuwabara hesitated, "And you?"

Koenma nodded, "You would forget all," his hand was shaking now, "Come with me before your soul is dark and you become a vile creature we do not care about…and therefore will have to have stricken down and cast to hell."

Kuwabara blinked, and smiled a slow and painful grin.

Koenma shook and the man he had become was gone, and he had slipped back into a familiar teenage form. "TAKE MY HAND KUWABARA!" Koenma roared suddenly eyes glazed with tears.

Kuwabara shook his head and sat down, "I would rather become a monster that remembers the ones he loves and enjoys the bath of blood, rather then be reborn and begin a new and not know the best thing that ever happened to me." Kuwabara kept his head down, and heard Koenma let out a low curse, and when Kuwabara opened his eyes again he saw only one person remained, and Kuwabara was certain that person hadn't been there before.

"What are you doing here Hiei?"

Kuwabara was amused when Hiei didn't respond. Hiei just stared at him, and after several long moments pointed towards the window, opened his mouth and closed it again. Not bothering to regain composure, something so unlike Hiei. The demon finally said, "Yusuke asked me to get you…to remind you about…meeting with Jin…and going to visit them in…demon world."

Kuwabara chuckled darkly, "Hiei," Kuwabara said with a dry laugh, "You speak so low…you're in shock?" Hiei finally dropped his hand, closed his mouth and returned to the normal calm demon. They stared at each other a long time. So long that Kuwabara decided he was uncomfortable and unbuttoned his shirt revealing his broad and scarred chest. Eyes never leaving Hiei's, Kuwabara went to the kitchen and returned with a beer. With ease he twisted the top off and took a swig and took his eyes off Hiei.

And when his eyes were closed Hiei's sword was plunged straight into Kuwabara's chest.

Kuwabara opened his eyes, and dropped his drink, to stare at Hiei in awe. Hiei held the sword's hilt tightly, and stared at Kuwabara coldly. "Don't look at me like this Kuwabara. You wanted me to kill you…well not me…" An intense anger that Hiei has never directed at Kuwabara before bore down on the dying human. Hiei growled angrily, "You reminded Yusuke to come get you at this time, knowing Yusuke being the-IDIOT-that he is would climb the tree outside your window, and enter through the balcony…like always. You knew Yusuke would hear all what Koenma had to say to you…Kuwabara you knew Koenma would come…you knew it all. And you knew Yusuke would hear your answer…you wanted your best friend to kill you…if you were murdered your soul would be saved…and you could keep your memories in the next life…is that what you assumed?! You would put your best friend through this hell just so you could hold on to some sense of honor?!"

Gems poured from Hiei's face, "But Yusuke asked me because he couldn't make it…you wanted Yusuke to hear all this and kill you…this is…Kuwabara do you realize you should have just gone with Koenma! Either way you'll be reborn with no memories of us or the things you did in this life! That's just how reincarnation works. Why would-"

"Shut up…" Kuwabara croaked, "This was always…just about death…I…I won't forget about you…if I die I won't forget…if I die from this…I won't be reborn…I can become a ghost…and…and watch you all…until the day…you join me…it'll be my choice to be reborn or to just for all of you…" Kuwabara coughed and reached his hand out, and rest his hand on the sword's hilt, and Hiei's hand, "I just…didn't want to kill anyone anymore…but I…I just couldn't forget you all…not the best things that ever happened to me! And I…I was too scared to kill myself. It would be…an honor to a samurai," Kuwabara suddenly laughed and with the laughter tears came from his eyes, and blood from his mouth, "But as much as I admired the samurais I am not one of them…in this day and era suicide is not honor, it means you were….you were a coward! …If I-I had killed myself then…that would have hurt Uram…Yusuke more…I know it would have. Hiei…I just was afraid…of Yusuke…that he would…look down on me when…the truth about me got…o-out." The plea in Kuwabara's voice was what broke Hiei.

Hiei took Kuwabara's hand obviously shocked and whispered, "Kuwabara..."

Kuwabara smiled, "I'm glad," and with those two words out, he coughed one last time and died.

Hiei removed his sword, and went quietly to the bathroom to clean the blood off.

Meanwhile Kuwabara's spirit stood next to Boeton and Koenma, only Kuwabara's eyes were dry. "Kuwabara…was that really your plan?" Boeton asked voice muffled from the hand over her mouth.

Kuwabara smiled and shook his head, "I didn't want Hiei to feel bad. What I really wanted…I wanted…Yusuke's approval of my choice his honest approval…in a moment of desperation…of knowing he'd never be able to see me again, I knew he'd really tell the truth about what he wanted me to do. I wanted his opinion on if I made the right choice. If Yusuke really wanted me to forget him and move on…I would have taken Koenma's offer…" Kuwabara cast his eyes over at his dead body in the apartment. Hiei was now back and sitting next to the chair leaned against it. Hiei had covered his own face and Kuwabara could only assume he was sobbing. Kuwabara sighed and finished his confession, "What I said was true. I would rather be a killer then forget everyone…but Hiei's idea…what Hiei thought…was a much better plan then the one I came up with. So…I won't be reborn."

Boeton looked at him, and extended her hand, "Kuwabara you have to come with me. You have to come with me and-"

Kuwabara laughed, "No. I will not leave this earth without them…not without Urameshi."

Koenma reached out for Kuwabara, "Really you must stop this, come with us."

"No Koenma…not without them. I will become a fixated spirit…on my friends. When they die…I'll see you again," Kuwabara turned away from them protests filling the air.

"Kuwabara stop!"

"No-don't do that! You're friends would want you to rest in peace."

Casting his ghostly eyes upon the crowded streets Kuwabara whispered, "My spirit power was undeniably strong when I was alive…and now that all I am is a spirit…what makes you think you can stop me?" Kuwabara shot them a look and the winds picked up cracking the glass screen door on Kuwabara's balcony. Kuwabara was truly a strong spirit, and both Koenma and Boeton knew this; there would be no way of stopping Kuwabara from getting what he desired. Kuwabara turned away from the two and took a step off the balcony and fell straight down his spirit dissolving all the way down and disappearing before the spirit touched the ground.

Koenma and Boeton stood silently on the balcony and looked out over the horizon of the city.

"Was he serious Lord Koenma?"

"From the moment he died there was no way Kuwabara would be able to join us, he was fixated to his friends since before he died…since he really connected to all of them."

"…I guess we need to tell Yusuke…"

Koenma shook his head, "No…there is no need. As close as those two were…I know he's already crying somewhere. Yusuke is already crying."

Boeton and Koenma stood in silence several moments longer before the grim reaper finally asked, "But…Lord Koenma? Can we really allow him to remain fixated like this? Can't we find a way to convince him to move on?"

Koenma shook his head, "In all actuality…I bet you this is something Kuwabara and Yusuke would both want…to remain together in life and death," Koenma turned to look back at Hiei in Kuwabara's apartment and mused of the day's events. "How many twists there were in this day. Nothing went as I expected, and thoughts of the people who met this day were so different."

Boeton placed a hand on Koenma's back, "You know that;s because of fate. Fate has so many twists and turns you can never know how someone's life story will end until it is over."

Koenma nodded looking out towards the direction of Genkai's shrine where he was sure Yusuke was, and where Kuwabara's spirit would eventually follow. "Kuwabara…loyal to the end…like a faithful dog."

Boeton looked at Koenma's face, and followed his gaze. Her gaze was much keener then her Lord's, and she was sure in the distance she could make out the lonely figure of a once strong willed man, who due to circumstances that could not be prevented, grew to enjoy the bath of blood.

End

Whoo…hope you liked it. I'll be posting the next chapter of something sweet soon, and then tackling my challenge fics. I'm planning on posting a list in my profile the order of the challenge fics so there is no confusion. : cuz I do get emails of the a new story idea sometimes before reviews.


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